The Purpose of Spiritual Rhythms/Practices:
To ourselves to be formed by the Spirit.
Jesus Taught…
“The Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35).
“David speaking by the Holy Spirit” (Mark 12:36).
“As it is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone…” (Matthew 4:4)
“Ultimately, our trust in the Bible stems from our trust in Jesus Christ, the man who is God, the king of the world, the crucified, risen, and exalted rescuer. I don’t trust in Jesus because I trust the Bible. I trust the Bible because I trust in Jesus. I love him and I’ve decided to follow him. So, if he acts and talks as if the Bible is trustworthy, authoritative, good, helpful, and powerful, I will too, even if some of my questions remain unanswered or my answers remain unpopular.” –Andrew Wilson
Good Posture Towards Scripture is in Jesus.
Matthew 5:17-20 NIV
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
How to Have Good Posture—
1. Come with
Mark 12:19-26 NIV
Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question.“Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?” Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”
2. Look for
John 5:39-47 NIV
You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. I do not accept glory from human beings, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?
3. Let Scripture You
2 Timothy 3:14-17 NIV
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Scripture is for not just gaining .
“The very thought of being conformed—which implies being grasped, controlled, and shaped by someone other than ourselves—confronts our deeply ingrained need for control. Graspers resist being grasped. Controllers struggle to yield. Manipulators reject being shaped. Yet genuine spiritual formation reverses this dynamic, turning us from self-production into God’s creation.” –Robert Mulholland
4. Put it to
Matthew 5:19b NIV
But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Questions for Reflection:
What difficulties do I face when it comes to the Bible (fear, confusion, boredom, skepticism, etc.)?
How is Jesus is inviting me to interact with those difficulties through this Practice?